Kids Helmets

For parents who didn’t grow up in action sports with kids 2 and up

• Helmet Basics: Most skateparks, pump tracks and developed riding areas require helmets. Use any helmet to start, but consider a full-face helmet for better protection. Kids often can’t catch themselves during falls, and the front of our kids’ full-face helmets show wear from regular use.
• Impact Performance: No two helmets are the same and no helmet is perfect for every fall. Due to legal restrictions, companies only advertise compliance with safety standards. I recommend parents of kids in any sport read this article from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. The concepts also pertain to team sports and they speak to a team sport helmet manufacturer.
• Safety Standards: For more details, refer to the Code Of Federal Regulations CFR Title 16 it is the safety standard for bicycle helmets. Here are diagrams illustrating the difference in head coverage for children under 5 and over 5 .
• Weight Considerations: Full-face helmets are heavier than typical kids’ helmets. A light full-face helmet that still has ample soft padding for less than severe impacts is perfect. Heavy helmets are uncomfortable and ultralight helmets generally don’t have much soft padding.
• Growth: Our heads grow more quickly than our bodies. Unlike pants and shoes, we may only need three different helmet sizes throughout our lives.
• Cool Factor: Kids view full-face helmets positively and are stoked to wear them.

Helmet Recommendations

This our personal experience, use this information at your own risk! Our children were fitted into these helmets at a local shop and have been saved by them many times. They are one of the smallest full-face helmets available do not be put off by the adult label, see the size chart. A lot of advanced child riders in our area use them. They offer a great combination of a small head circumference, padding and light weight.  

• Bell Sanction https://amzn.to/3AAiLFH Fits head circumferences starting at 48cm and is lightweight at 850g yet well-padded. The Sanction is marketed for BMX and dirt jumps. We started our kids with this one.
• Bell Sanction 2 https://amzn.to/3YEIh4o Fits head circumferences starting at 48cm and is slightly heavier than the Sanction at 1040g. The Sanction 2 is marketed for BMX through faster bigger trails at mountain bike parks.
• Bell Sanction 2 DLX MIPS https://amzn.to/3CrrRFe Offers MIPS protection, a cross brand helmet technology that helps reduce head rotation upon impact to mitigate injury. It starts at a 51cm head circumference and weighs 1080g. The Sanction 2 DLX MIPS is aimed at mountain bike park riding and is ASTM Downhill certified. Our 10-year-old uses this helmet as he is now bigger, going faster and jumping larger things. We move our kids into this helmet when they outgrow the Sanction helmet.
• For even smaller kids check out the Bell Lil Ripper helmet https://amzn.to/3AIIXhp while not a full face it is a great go to with more coverage than most and goes all the way down to a 45cm head circumference.

Stay safe!